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DECC take the solar FIT case to the Supreme Court

Jeanine Willoughby — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:50:28 GMT

Green wise reported yesterday that Chris Huhne has confirmed he plans to contest a decision by the Court of Appeal preventing him from carrying out controversial plans to cut the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) for solar electricity.

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change confirmed he would be seeking permission to appeal the decision at the Supreme Court.

In statement issued a few hours after the Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling that the Government’s plan to slash the solar FiT was unlawful, he said: "The Court of Appeal has upheld the High Court ruling on FiTs albeit on different grounds. We disagree and are seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court."

Fit cuts delayed

The Court of Appeal decision means the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) cannot go through with its original plan to cut to the FiT – from 43 pence to 21 pence for solar installations up to four kilowatt in size – until March 3 2012. Ministers at DECC had put forward plans to cut the tariff from December 12 2011, saying early decisive action was required to safeguard the FiT budget. The proposals were ruled unlawful by the High Court in December, and this morning, the High Court ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal.

DECC did not set out the Government’s grounds for a further appeal, but Huhne said: "We want to maximise the number of installations that are possible within the available budget rather than use available money to pay a higher tariff to half the number of installations. Solar PV can have strong and vibrant future in UK and we want a lasting FITs scheme to support that future and jobs in the industry."

But those who brought the High Court case against the Government warned a further appeal would only lead to more uncertainty for the solar industry, as well as waste time and public money.

"This landmark judgement confirms that devastating Government plans to rush through cuts to solar payments are illegal – and will prevent Ministers from causing industry chaos with similar cuts in future," said Andy Atkins, executive director at Friends of Earth, , which – along with solar firms Solarcentury and Homesun – won the High Court case against the Government in December. "The Government must now take steps to safeguard the UK’s solar industry and the 29,000 jobs still facing the chop."

Business reaction

The business community also urged the Government to use the decision to "draw a line" under the FiT case.

"The judgement should be used to draw a line under this saga, which saw the Government scoring a spectacular own goal and confidence in the renewables sector undermined," John Cridland, CBI director-general, said. "We must bring certainty back to this high growth sector."

Howard Johns, chairman of the Solar Trade Association, added: "The Government’s appeal against the original ruling has created huge uncertainty for the thousands of small businesses in the sector, and we sincerely hope that the Government chooses not to take this further by appealing against this result."

Government loses solar appeal

kate gilmartin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:08:37 GMT

Business Green has just reported that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has lost its appeal against a High Court ruling which branded its plans to rush through cuts to solar subsidies as illegal.

Three Court of Appeal Judges this morning upheld the original decision that the government had acted unlawfully in proposing cuts to feed-in tariffs for solar installations completed after December 12 last year, on the grounds the consultation on the proposed changes to the scheme did not close until December 23.

The ruling was celebrated by the solar industry, which has consistently argued that ministers should not be allowed to impose "retrospective" changes to the feed-in tariff incentive scheme.

"Four Judges, including three in The Court of Appeal, have now called the Government's actions illegal," said Daniel Green, chief executive at Homesun, one of the company's behind the legal action. "That's a four-nil victory and a decisive ruling that government may not make retrospective changes to the FIT because, as Lord Justice Moses concludes, to do so 'would be to take away an existing entitlement without statutory authority'."

His comments were echoed by Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solarcentury, who writing on Twitter urged the government to now accept the ruling and work to build "a counter-austerity industry in solar".

The ruling means that the government will now have to pick up the costs of the organisations that brought the original legal action.

However, a DECC spokeswoman said the government was still "considering our options" in the wake of the ruling, prompting speculation the government could seek to lodge a second appeal with the Supreme Court.

Reports that the government could yet seek to appeal again to the Supreme Court prompted an angry reaction from solar industry campaigners.

Writing on Twitter Seb Berry of Solarcentury said: "Appeal Court rejected DECCs application to appeal to the Supreme Ct. DECC can still apply directly but on what possible grounds?"

Others have suggested that the government may consider an appeal in order to ensure demand for new solar installations remains low in the run up to March 3 – the new cut off date for the higher rate of feed-in tariff incentives.

If the government does not appeal against today's court ruling the level of incentives available for installations completed before March 3 will be confirmed at 43p/kWh. Ministers are concerned that the ruling could spark a month long gold rush as households and businesses rush to take advantage of the higher rate, eating further into a feed-in tariff budget that has already been exceeded for this year.

In contrast, the continued uncertainty caused by a further appeal would stop solar firms advertising that the current feed-in tariff rate is set at 43p/kWh, potentially dampening demand until the incentives are halved on March 3.

The ruling should also pave the way for the release of the government's long-awaited full review of the feed-in tariff scheme, which has been promised for early next month and is expected to map out how ministers plan to cut incentives in future.

Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, which was also involved in the legal action, urged the government to now reform the scheme, increasing the spending cap to allow for the continued expansion of the solar sector.

"This landmark judgement confirms that devastating Government plans to rush through cuts to solar payments are illegal - and will prevent Ministers from causing industry chaos with similar cuts in future," he said.

"The Government must now take steps to safeguard the UK's solar industry and the 29,000 jobs still facing the chop. Ministers must abandon plans to tighten the screw on which homes qualify for solar payments - and use the massive tax revenues generated by solar to protect the industry."

Government to confirm back-up plan to cut solar incentives from early March

kate gilmartin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:22:53 GMT

According to Business Green, the government will this afternoon confirm its contingency plan should it lose its high-profile court battle to uphold proposed cuts to incentives for solar installations completed after December 12 last year.

According to industry reports, the statement is expected to confirm that if the government loses its appeal against the court ruling that branded its proposed cuts to incentives as unlawful, it will cut feed-in tariffs for installations with under 4kW of capacity to 21p per kWh within 40 days, setting a new cut-off date of March 3. It is also expected to confirm that should the government win its appeal it will not cut incentives for installations completed after December 12 last year below the proposed level of 21p per kWh.

The statement will provide some much-needed certainty to the solar market, providing official confirmation that the level of support for current installations will not fall below 21p per kWh regardless of the outcome of the government's appeal. The statement is expected to only confirm rates through to the end of March, meaning that the government could attempt to impose deeper cuts to the level of subsidy from April if, as feared, the scheme remains on track to exceed its spending cap. However, industry watchers suggested that with the government required to consult again on any further changes to the scheme post April it is unlikely that additional cuts to incentives could be imposed before early summer.

The move follows intense lobbying from solar firms angry about the uncertainty over the current level of support for new installations. It also comes in response to calls from Friends of the Earth for the government to table legislation enabling it to cut feed-in tariffs as soon as possible should it lose the court case and be forced to reinstate the 43p per kWh incentive rate. All sides in the debate on the future of feed-in tariffs are concerned about the potential impact on the scheme's budget of a return to the 43p per kWh rate that could result in a surge in new installations. Although supporters of the legal action taken against the government maintain they were right to bring the case given that otherwise ministers would have set a precedent allowing them to retrospectively impose cuts to incentives.

The judges currently deliberating whether or not to hear the government's appeal are thought to be unlikely to reach a decision this week, meaning that even if they reject the government's case there will only be a limited period when the higher rate of incentives is reinstated. A spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth welcomed news of the statement, arguing that it provides some "much-needed certainty for the solar market". "The next step is to now try and get a budget for the scheme that will allow that certainty and stability to continue in the future," she added.

Date set for DECC's appeal!

kate gilmartin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:16:52 GMT

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) have stated that the DECC permission hearing, for their appeal against the solar PV feed in tariff verdict, will be Friday13th January. This will be followed by the full hearing, if permitted, the same day. The findings won't be announced until the following week. Therefore DECC hope that by the end of January all will be clear, but there are no guarantees of the timing as the process could result in a further appeal to the Supreme Court by whichever side that loses.

Once the result of the Appeal is known and if DECC win, they intend to publish their response to the consultation on or around the 30th Jan (they can’t do it before) along with the Phase 2 Comprehensive review. However, they made clear that the proposals in the Phase 2 consultation depend on what the result of the Judicial Review is and the amount of PV that has been installed since 12^th December. Unfortunately the REA were unable to get reassurance that other technologies will definitely not be affected.

If DECC lose, they may appeal to the Supreme Court, a process for which it is difficult to forecast a timescale. The REA state that this will be a test case around the consultation process on secondary legislation, which has far wider implications across the whole of Government and therefore means there will be much wider considerations for Government in choosing to pursue this beyond the solar issue. This could mean that even if DECC wanted to drop the case, concern over the rulings impact on other Government policy may prevent them from doing so.

REA Chief Executive Gaynor Hartnell has written to Secretary of State Chris Huhne requesting an urgent meeting and seeking reassurances that the legal dispute will not be allowed to affect the future of the FIT scheme, for all technologies. They state that they are well aware of the needs of other FIT technologies, as well as implications for the RO budget and have publicly criticised DECC for failing to prevent pot depletion by one technology. The REA have suggested pulling FITs into general taxation to help resolve these concerns, where Treasury revenues appear to exceed scheme costs.

The Judicial Review has raised the stakes, as a return to 43p kWh tariff could see another rapid rise in deployment. DECC is not ruling out any options, should it lose the appeal. Whilst Minister Barker is keen to see the scheme continue for solar, in an interview with Business Green yesterday he confirmed that the budget had been exceeded for 2011/12 and believes this will also be the case for 2012//13. Therefore reducing the tariff for all PV systems installed post 1st April 2012 to 9p kWh remains a possibility. DECC Officials were keen to stress that this is not their preferred outcome, but all options remain under consideration.

So far the majority of solar companies that contacted the REA stated that whilst they believe setting a reference date before the end of the consultation was deplorable, they could make the 21p work and that their key concern was to focus on the long term future of the industry.

Decc has now said that following confirmation that there will be a hearing of its appeal against the JR finding, it can now state the following regarding tariffs - which should help to reduce the uncertainty:

“The tariff rate for PV installations less than or equal to 4kW will not fall below 21p for installations with an eligibility date between 12th December 2011 and 31st March 2012.”

DECC appeals against High Court solar feed-in tariff ruling

kate gilmartin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:45:01 GMT

Business Green reported that the government, on Wednesday afternoon, filed a request to appeal against a High Court ruling that branded its plans to rush through cuts to solar feed-in tariffs as unlawful, despite concerns the continuation of legal proceedings will prolong investor uncertainty.

DECC hopes permission to appeal would be granted as soon as possible to provide clarity for consumers and industry on the future of feed-in tariffs and the recently closed consultation.

Writing on Twitter, climate minister Greg Barker said the timing of the appeal was up to the court, but he expressed hope that the long-running legal battle would be resolved "well before the end of the month".

Mr Justice Mitting ruled on 21^st December that it would be unlawful for the government to effectively cut feed-in tariff rates for installations completed on or after 12 December, as proposed in the government's consultation, on the grounds that the changes pre-empted the close date for the consultation.

He also rejected an immediate appeal request from DECC's lawyer, warning that any appeal would have limited chances of success.

However, he set a deadline of 4 January for DECC to seek permission to appeal from the Court of Appeal, in a bid to ensure that any hearing could take place as soon as possible when the court's term begins on 11 January.

DECC met that deadline and outlined its grounds for appeal in a move designed to help speed up the legal process.

"The High Court's decision was based on the view that the proposed approach to implementing new tariffs for solar PV is inconsistent with the FIT scheme's statutory purpose of encouraging small-scale low-carbon electricity generation. We disagree with this for a number of reasons," DECC said in a statement.

"The overriding aim of the proposed reduction in tariffs for solar PV (as set out in the recent consultation) is to ensure that over the long term as many people as possible are encouraged to install small-scale low-carbon generation (including other technologies as well as solar PV) and benefit from the funding available for the FIT scheme."

DECC has consistently warned that delaying the proposed cuts to incentives could result in the feed-in tariff scheme exceeding its spending cap – a scenario that some solar industry insiders fear will result in deeper cuts to incentives from April.

A spokeswoman for the department added that it would also be appealing on the grounds that the "judicial review was premature as no decision has yet been taken, and a decision will only be taken after a full analysis of the responses to the consultation".

The appeal has been attacked by a number of green groups that fear the on-going legal battle means it remains unclear whether current levels of feed-in tariffs will continue and when cuts to the level of incentives will be imposed.

Friends of the Earth, one of a number of parties that took legal action against the government plans, warned the government it risked wasting public funds by continuing legal proceedings.

"The government's illegal cuts to solar tariff rates have near-crippled an industry and threatened thousands of jobs," said Friends of the Earth's head of campaigns, Andrew Pendleton.

"Trying to appeal the High Court's ruling is an expensive waste of taxpayer money – the court says the government has no realistic chance of winning, and it will prolong uncertainty among solar companies just when they need reassurance.

"Ministers should accept the High Court's decision and end business uncertainty and protect jobs with a clear plan to reduce payments from February, in line with falling installation costs."

However, the latest development came as a number of solar industry blogs revealed that government fears the feed-in tariff scheme will exceed its budget could prove well founded.

Solar industry campaigners have repeatedly argued that the spending cap may need to be relaxed, insisting that a well-managed increase in the budget will only result in a modest rise in energy bills.

Meanwhile, shadow energy and climate change secretary Caroline Flint called on the government to "go back to the drawing board and bring forward more measured proposals that guarantee the continued growth of the solar industry".

"The government's reckless cuts to the feed-in tariff have thrown the solar industry into disarray, putting thousands of jobs and businesses at risk, and hitting families trying to do the right thing and cut their energy bills," she said

"What the industry needs – and what the public deserves – is certainty about the future of solar power, yet by appealing against the ruling the government is creating even more uncertainty."

More renewable projects needed in the UK - according to new European statistics

James Robinson — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:29:04 GMT

According to Click Green, the UK is third-bottom of the European renewable energy league, published on Monday. CO2Sense can support renewable projects through investment, advice, and technical consultancy. If you have a renewable project or would like to know more, please contact us to discuss your options.

The article reports that the share of renewable energy in the UK's final energy consumption was just 3.3%, slightly ahead of only two other of the European Union's 27 member states, Malta and Luxembourg.

The report also reveals that out of all the European nations, the UK has the biggest gap to bridge to achieve the legally binding 2020 target of sourcing 15% of the country's energy mix from renewables.

The UK needs to increase its energy share from renewables by 11.7% over the next 9 years.

Sweden topped the league with 46.9% of the national energy mix sourced from renewable technology, followed by Latvia (34.3%), Finland (33.6%), Austria (30.7%) and Portugal (24.7%).

The European Commission statistics were revealed today as part of the EurObserv'ER project.

The figures show that across Europe the renewable energy share accounts for 12.4% of overall gross final energy consumption, compared to 11.5% in 2009 - a 0.9 point year-on-year increase compared to 2009.

The increase is related to a bigger gross consumption of final energy from renewable sources, 145 Mtoe (against 131,6 Mtoe in 2009) for a gross final energy consumption of 1170.7 Mtoe (against 1146.3 Mtoe in 2009).

According to today's report, gross consumption of final energy from renewable sources increased by 10.2% (+ 13.4 Mtoe), as against a 2.1% increase (+24.4 Mtoe) of the overall gross final energy consumption.

Renewable energy share in electricity consumption was 19.8% in 2010, compared to 18.2% in 2009 and the renewable energy share of domestic energy consumption was 9.9% in 2010, compared to 9.1% in 2009.

The full article can be found here.

The report states that EU nations need to produce an extra hundred Mtoe of final energy from renewable sources to achieve the overall 2020 target of renewable energies in EU-27 final energy gross consumption, which equates to an extra annual average of 10 Mtoe of final energy from renewable sources.

3/1/12 Minister approves £120m waste wood biomass plant

Mark Gregory — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:49:59 GMT

from LetsRecycle.com

Energy minister Charles Hendry today gave the go-ahead to developer Dalkia to build a £120 million wood waste-burning biomass plant in Yorkshire.

The plant will be located on a site of the former RAF airfield at Pollington near Leeds and will burn 360,000 tonne of waste wood a year and produce 53MW of electricity. It is the second large-scale Dalkia biomass plant to receive planning approval in the UK, in addition to the company’s biomass plant in Chilton, County Durham, which became operational in October 2011

Dalkia is the sister company of waste management company Veolia Environmental Services, meaning that some of the feedstock for the plant will come from Veolia as well as Dalkia’s existing supply networks. A spokesman for the company told letsrecycle.com that all feedstock would be locally sourced.

Waste wood will be delivered to the site via the nearby Aire and Calder Navigation Canal, meaning that road traffic movements will be kept to a minimum. It will then be processed into pellets at a facility already in operation at the site before being used in the biomass plant. The plant will create around 200 jobs during construction and 135 during operation.

The approval for the plant means that the number of new power stations given consent in England and Wales this year has reached fifteen, the highest ever since the Electricity Act came into force in 1989.

Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy, said: “When it comes to big new power station projects, investors and communities need certainty. I am delighted that this project marks a new record for granting consent decisions.

“It has been a priority for this administration to remove the backlog in planning applications, to demonstrate our commitment to economic growth. A record number of decisions shows that we have delivered on this, helping ensure our long-term energy security and creating jobs.

“This new waste wood plant in Yorkshire will not only enhance our energy security and reduce waste wood to landfill; it will create an estimated 200 construction and 135 operational jobs and give a real boost to the local economy.”

Work on the Pollington biomass plant will begin soon and it is expected to take three years to build. It is one of a number of biomass plants which Dalkia is hoping to develop over the next few years across the UK

Court rules in favour of solar firms, throwing government feed-in tariff plans into chaos

kate gilmartin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:13:12 GMT

Business Green reported that the High Court yesterday upheld a legal challenge from Friends of the Earth and two solar firms against the government's controversial decision to slash feed-in tariff incentives for solar installations, throwing the proposed changes to the subsidy scheme into chaos.

The Court ruled the government had breached rules governing consultation exercises, when it announced that proposed cuts to feed-in tariff incentives would impact installations

Mr Justice Mitting said ministers were "proposing to make an unlawful decision" and as a result the court would be "amenable to a judicial review".

He also noted that the consultation has already had a "significant impact" on the industry in the form of projects being scrapped.

The ruling paves the way for a judicial review that could force the government to relaunch the consultation, significantly delaying when the proposed incentives to cuts will come into effect.

The judge rejected an immediate request for an appeal from DECC on the grounds it would create further uncertainty. However, DECC lawyers said they could make another application to appeal by the 4th of January next year.

Climate Minister Greg Barker later issued a statement confirming the government would seek an appeal. "We disagree with the Court's decision," he said. "We will be seeking an appeal and hope to secure a hearing as soon as possible. Regardless of today's outcome, the current high tariffs for solar PV are not sustainable and changes need to be made in order to protect the budget which is funded by consumers through their energy bills."

The decision will be hailed as a major victory by the solar industry, after firms warned that the scale and pace of the proposed cuts would have a crippling effect on the sector resulting in thousands of job losses.

It is also likely to be welcomed by the CBI and the Local Government Association, both of which criticised the government cuts.

However, DECC has consistently warned that delaying the proposed cuts to incentives could result in the feed-in tariff scheme exceeding its spending cap - a scenario that some solar industry insiders fear will result in deeper cuts to incentives in the future.

Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solarcentury, which launched the legal action alongside HomeSun and Friends of the Earth, urged the government to now work with the solar industry to reduce incentives in a controlled manner.

"The Court has stopped Government abusing its power but it doesn't make up for the fact that DECC has created chaos for the renewable energy industry as a whole, and not just solar," he said in a statement.

"Solarcentury was very reluctant to take this legal challenge but DECC gave us no choice. All of this could have been avoided if DECC had done a proper consultation last summer, as they promised, and engaged constructively with the solar industry. I do hope that DECC will now engage properly with the industry, so that together we can build a viable solar industry in the UK, as they have in Germany."

His comments were echoed by Andy Atkins of Friends of the Earth who said: "These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs. Solar payments should fall in line with falling installation costs but the speed of the government's proposals threatened to devastate the entire industry."

However, it remains unclear how the government will proceed following the ruling.

The consultation exercise will remain open until the end of the week as had been initially planned, but assuming it does not win its appeal the government's response, which is expected in mid-January, is now likely to be informed by the threat of further legal action if it imposes cuts on installations completed after December 12 as originally proposed.

Lawyers for Friends of the Earth said that the judge’s ruling had effectively quashed the December 12 cut off date for installations to enjoy the current higher rate of feed-in tariffs. They predicted that under consultation rules the earliest DECC could impose a new cut off date would be mid-February.

However, any delay to the proposed cuts will fuel concerns that the scheme could again experience a gold rush that eats into its available budget.

Gaynor Hartnell of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) warned that the ruling could end up doing long term damage to the solar sector.

"Whilst no-one in the renewables industry was comfortable with the manner in which the latest PV tariff review was carried out, the implications of this decision could be very bad for those technologies benefitting from the feed in tariff," she said in a statement. "If the tariffs do get reinstated, the rush that we'd seen before 12th December will presumably resume... This may put the longer-term future of the small-scale feed in tariff in jeopardy, when what we need most is clarity stability."

DECC was unable to comment further at the time of going to press.

Record breaking Scottish renewable energy investment

James Robinson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:54:02 GMT

The Scottish Government has hailed 2011 as both 'ground breaking' and 'momentous' for the nation's renewable energy industry.

The year to October saw what Scottish energy minister, Fergus Ewing, also hailed as a 'record breaking' £750m of investment in renewable energy in Scotland. Mr Ewing also pointed out there is a pipeline of proposed projects with 17GW of generating capacity worth an estimated £46bn.

There are currently 7GW of renewable projects operational, under construction or consented. The Scottish Government's target is to meet the equivalent of 100% of gross annual electricity demand from renewables by 2020, in 2009 27.4% of Scotland's gross electricity demand was met from renewables.

In the second quarter of 2011, UK hydro generation increased by 74% on the equivalent quarter of 2010. Given that Scotland has over 90% of the UK's hydro output the vast majority of the increase will be in Scotland.

UK onshore wind generation increased by 111% on the equivalent quarter of 2010. Scotland has approximately 48% of the UK's wind output. There is approximately 4500 megawatts of renewables capacity in operation in Scotland. It is estimated Scotland has enough capacity operational and in the planning system to meet up to three quarters of its electricity demand.

Mr Ewing, said: "2011 has been an exceptional year for renewable energy in Scotland - truly the best year yet - and I am proud to be energy minister at such an exciting time. "We have seen momentous progress towards our goal of generating the equivalent of 100% of Scotland's electricity needs from renewables by 2020, as well as electricity generation from other energy technologies. "But most importantly we have taken real steps to ensure that communities all over Scotland will benefit from the renewable energy generated in their area, with a community benefit register which will help empower communities, as well as loans projects to help them develop renewable energy projects of their own."

This article has been taken from EDIE - http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?src=dnl&id=21545

19/12/11 - Energy Minister signals support for UK Biomass Industry

Mark Gregory — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:14:20 GMT

from the Renewable Energy Association

Energy Minister, Charles Hendry MP, this week reinforced Government support for the UK biomass industry and highlighted its importance as a proven, practical and secure part of a sustainable energy mix.

Speaking at a packed Westminster reception organised by the Back Biomass campaign, the Minister reaffirmed that the Government is committed to a significant ramping up of biomass electricity, heat and CHP and is well on the way to tackling financial and non-financial barriers to achieving their ambitious targets.

The event, held at Westminster City Hall and hosted by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Susie Burbidge, was attended by MPs and industry representatives, together with leading figures from the forestry and agriculture sectors.

The Back Biomass campaign is an industry-led initiative designed to promote awareness and understanding of the merits of biomass as proven, practical, secure source of low-carbon energy. The campaign has gained widespread support since its launch in July, and will be continuing to work with Government and other stakeholders in 2012 to ensure that the full benefits of biomass are delivered for UK PLC.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry MP said:

“I want to state that biomass is a huge opportunity for the UK. It can bring us clean electricity and heat, greater energy security, economic development in both rural and urban areas, and new green jobs. It is one of the major new growth opportunities that can help the UK economy out of recession.

“The Government’s bio-energy strategy… will be published in the New Year. This work confirms the key importance of sustainably-sourced energy from biomass in meeting the UK’s legally binding carbon reduction targets for 2050. In fact it confirms that without bio-energy it will not be possible to meet those targets.”

Welcoming the Minister’s comments, REA Chief Executive Gaynor Hartnell said:

“We started the Back Biomass campaign in early summer, with the objective of delivering the message to government that if it puts the right policy framework in place, the biomass industry is ready and willing to assist in meeting the Government’s renewables target.”

“With the introduction of new sustainability criteria from 2013, Government has also made it clear that only sustainably-sourced biomass, which complies with strict environmental regulations, will be supported. This position is welcomed by an industry keen to play not just an interim but a long term role in the low carbon economy of the future.”

Judicial review of solar subsidy cuts to go ahead

kate gilmartin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:00:18 GMT

According to Business Green, two solar companies are celebrating after a High Court Judge granted them permission to challenge the government over its proposals to cut subsidies for solar energy.

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Mr Justice Mitting today overturned the court’s previous decision and granted SolarCentury, HomeSun and campaign group Friends of the Earth a judicial review on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

The case centres on the government's decision to halve payments for solar systems under its feed-in tariff scheme for any installations after 12 December, almost two weeks before a consultation on the proposed changes ends.

The three organisations claim this is unlawful and has led to scores of projects being abandoned, not least because companies will not know if the new tariff rates are to be applied from next April until the results of the consultation are confirmed next month.

Although this argument was rejected by the High Court last month, Mr Justice Mitting today agreed that the proposals had given rise to "economic risk" for the solar industry and said the challenge should be heard as a matter of urgency.

John Faulks, SolarCentury's company secretary, said the case was still at an early stage and next week the companies would be looking to prove that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had acted illegally.

"A cut of over 50 per cent that occurred in just six weeks and before the end of a consultation period is cynical and irrational," he said. "Win or lose on Tuesday next week, the industry still has to sort out the chaos DECC has already caused."

A DECC spokeswoman said the department would be defending the review.

Anger at the speed of the cuts has been widespread across the industry, which has warned up to 20,000 jobs could be lost as a result. A petition was delivered to Downing street on Tuesday, while a march on Parliament was organised last month. Chris Huhne even had to defend the proposals in front of a hostile audience on the BBC's Question Time programme.

Yesterday he admitted that future alterations would have to be handled better, but reiterated the argument that the scheme needed to be adjusted to stay within budget. DECC has consistently maintained the tariffs offered an overly generous incentive and inspired a surge of installations.

£10million available for community renewable projects

James Robinson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:29:23 GMT

You've got under two weeks to get a free grant of up to £130,000 for your community group.

We can take the pain out of making it happen, and we won't charge you a penny.

Community groups can apply for grants of up to £130,000 to enable them to develop energy projects under a government scheme launched on 7^th December. These projects could include ways of cutting energy use, or to find out how community groups could earn an income by generating their own electricity or heat from renewable sources.

The Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) was annouced by DECC as part of a £30million package, of which £10million is for energy projects.Information is available here on the fund.

But the deadline for applications is Friday 22^nd December. That's less than two weeks. There is a second round that you can apply for - the deadline for the second round is 20^th January 2012 - but to take advantage of the first round of funding, you'll need to be quick. It's worth applying for the first round, because this scheme is being run as a competition. There are likely to be fewer applicants for the first round, and so you may stand a better chance of winning a grant.

We can help. We are a not-for-profit company with years of experience of both renewable energy projects and working with government funding schemes. We are passionate about turning good ideas into successful renewable energy projects. Projects that we have already launched include hydro electricity, biomass heating, anaerobic digestion and more.

Because we want to see more low-carbon projects being built and installed, we will help you to complete your application form and submit it by the deadline completely free of charge.

Call us today to talk to one of our renewable energy specialists. They'll ask you a few questions to get a better idea about the options that are most appropriate for your group. Then, we'll complete the form so that it's ready for you to send directly to the team that will administer the grants.

We can only offer this service on a first-come, first-served basis, so do call us today. Contact Vicky Wren on 0113 237 8461.

New energy from waste plants gets ROC approval

James Robinson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:33:07 GMT

A new energy from waste gasification plant in Peterborough has achieved pre-accreditation for renewable obligation certificates. This is a big achievement in the renewables sector as there are relatively few successful ROC/gasification plants in existence. The following story has been taken from EDIE.

An energy-from-waste facility in Peterborough has received renewable obligation certificate (ROCs) pre-accreditation approval from Ofgem. EnergyPark Peterborough, which is operated by Green Energy Parks (GEP), uses mechanical recycling, biomass gasification and plasma melting of air pollution control residues to create recycled product and renewable energy.

It aims to send zero waste to landfill and the park has, GEP claims, the potential to divert 750,000 tonnes of waste, instead using it to generate renewable energy, with the overall goal of changing how waste is dealt with in the UK.

According to GEP, months of research and development was conducted to gain Ofgem verification that fuels measurement and sampling procedure used at the park is "robust and reliable". This, GEP says marks a "big step forward for the project", which it claims "will challenge the way we deal with waste in the UK".

The scheme received pre-accreditation approval for the renewable energy it will generate under the current ROCs bandings for gasification and pyrolysis, at a level of two ROCs per megawatt hour of electricity produced.

GEP managing director, Chris Williams said: "This is a significant achievement in the UK's transition to a low carbon economy and moving closer to solutions that provide reliable, green energy for years to come.

"EnergyPark Peterborough will sustainably divert 750,000 tonnes of waste from landfill per year, at the same time as generating thousands of megawatt hours of renewable energy. In the UK we produce 280 million tonnes of rubbish per year - we have to act now to tackle this."

Durban climate deal struck, but is it enough?

kate gilmartin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:16:57 GMT

According to the Guardian, the Durban Climate change talks came close to collapse after over-running to the early hours of Sunday morning. However, a new global climate deal was struck by three powerful women politicians in a 20-minute "huddle to save the planet".

Two hours later the 16-day talks were effectively over, with a commitment by all countries to accept binding emission cuts by 2020. As part of the package of measures agreed, a new climate fund will be set up, carbon markets will be expanded and countries will be able to earn money by protecting forests.

Chris Huhne hailed the conclusion of the talks as "a triumph of European co-operation".

"We have taken a significant step forward. This will give business confidence and stop us locking in a whole generation of high-carbon technology," he said.

But Martin Khor, director of the intergovernmental South Centre in Geneva, said poor countries would be obliged to cut emissions proportionally more than the rich. "It's like the starving will be made to give up half their small amount of food but the rich just a bit," he said.

Green groups said the ambition shown by countries to reduce emissions was paltry. "Negotiators have sent a clear message to the world's hungry: let them eat carbon," said Celine Charveriat, director of campaigns and advocacy for Oxfam.

"Governments must immediately turn their attention to raising the ambition of their emissions cuts targets and filling the Green Climate Fund. Unless countries ratchet up their emissions cuts urgently we could still be in store for a 10-year timeout on the action we need to stay under two degrees [of temperature increase]."

Greenpeace International director Kumi Naidoo said: "The chance of averting catastrophic climate change is slipping through our hands with every passing year that nations fail to agree on a rescue plan for the planet."

"This will force governments to admit their current pledges to cut emissions are not enough to achieve 2⁰C rise and will have to be strengthened," said Michael Jacobs, of the Grantham climate research institute of climate change.

Nnimmo Bassey, chair of Friends of the Earth International, said: "Delaying real action till 2020 is a crime of global proportions.

"This means the world is on track to a 4⁰C temperature rise, a death sentence for Africa, small island states and the poor and vulnerable worldwide. The richest 1% of the world have decided that it is acceptable to sacrifice the 99%."

Keith Allott, head of the climate team for WWF, summed up his feelings on the outcome in South Africa: "In the end governments did just enough to salvage a path forward for further negotiations. But we shouldn't be under any illusion - the outcome of Durban leaves us with the prospect of being legally bound to a world of 4⁰C warming. That would be catastrophic for people and the natural world”.

Last day of talks in Durban and there's a glimmer of hope

kate gilmartin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:33:30 GMT

As we enter the last day of the COP17 in Durban there is news that there are major talks afoot, and signs of a deal in a number of key areas. According to RTCC’s( Responding to Climate Change) live coverage:-

-The Green Climate Fund appears to be on the brink of completion. One source says it is a done deal, two say the final details are being thrashed out yesterday evening

-There is mounting speculation that China has cemented its offer to begin talks on a future globally binding deal

-Collaboration between the EU and the LDCs, and between the EU and the G77 has led to speculation that a deal in Durban could be more significant than previously thought. The sensitivity of the talks has made it tricky to confirm with the Parties involved

According to Andy Atkins of Friends of the Earth, if we want a high chance of avoiding a two degree rise in global temperature, which all leading politicians have said we must do, we need huge cuts in global emissions. Research shows that, based on 1990 levels, the USA would need to cut its emissions by around 95 per cent by 2030, the EU by 80 per cent, and China would need to peak its emissions in the next couple of years and then reduce them. These figures are far in excess of what politicians are willing to even contemplate. The following five steps, if taken soon, could get us on the right path and still give us a chance:

• The EU should commit, ideally today, and without strings attached, to take on new reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. The reductions have to be much higher than the 20 per cent by 2020 the EU currently has as a target. The best we can probably hope for is 30 per cent which would at least be a step forward, but 40 per cent cuts are very possible and closer to what the science tells us is needed. Making cuts at this level would wean Europe off its dangerous addiction to fossil fuels, improve energy security and put us at the forefront of developing new low-carbon industries and jobs. • President Obama has to open the door to higher reduction targets for the US, the second biggest polluter in the world. We all know the political situation in America is not conducive to great leaps forwards on climate change but, like in the EU, there are self-interested energy security and economic development reasons for greater action.

• The finance and technology needed to help developing countries adapt to climate change and grow their economies without excessive use of fossil fuels needs to start flowing. This assistance, which should be provided by rich, developed nations and managed by the UN, will help to provide clean energy to the billions of people in the world still without access to electricity.

• Once rich countries have agreed new legally binding emissions, and money and technology flows are happening in practice rather than just in theory, then developing countries, especially the bigger polluters, will need to agree to begin negotiations towards binding carbon limits for their economies that would kick-start in 2015.

• Significant research effort needs to go into techniques to take carbon out of the air. Our research suggests that even more ambitious commitments to cut emissions will not be enough on their own to tackle climate change. We need these new techniques to compliment carbon pollution cutting efforts if we want to avoid climate chaos.

With the talks ending later this day, let’s hope that some positive actions are cemented in Durban.

Stalemate in Durban!

kate gilmartin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:16:30 GMT

The Guardian newspaper reported that the United Nations secretary Ban-Ki-Moon has suggested in his most downbeat assessment of the talks, that a global legally binding deal on climate change is likely to be off the table, at least "for now".

After nine days of negotiations at Durban Ban –Ki-Moon told delegates: "It may be true, as many say: the ultimate goal of a comprehensive and binding climate change agreement may be beyond our reach – for now."

He said that the "grave economic troubles in many countries" had overshadowed the talks. But he also blamed "abiding political differences [and] conflicting priorities and strategies for responding to climate change". As a measure of the low expectations, Ban said he was looking for just "incremental advances".

The key issues at the talks are now clear: whether the "green climate fund" is permitted to go ahead; the future of the Kyoto treaty, which is in grave doubt; and whether there can be a new global legally binding treaty on the climate in future, or a weaker compromise. What is still unclear, with just three full negotiating days to go, is whether any of these can be resolved.

For the multibillion dollar green fund to start distributing money to developing countries at last, the US – which has been blocking its launch – says it needs to be satisfied of the "transparency" of its governance. Todd Stern, US special envoy for climate change, said: "There are about 20 parties who have serious issues with the fund."

But he added: "I have no reason to think this is hung up at this point. We have been a very strong supporter of the fund. I'm pretty optimistic about it."

If it proceeds, it is likely to be the only major issue to be resolved here.

More complex is the future of the Kyoto protocol, the world's only treaty stipulating cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, which the US has never joined and will not. The first "commitment period", under which developed countries undertook to cut their emissions by an average of 5%, runs out in 2012. But Japan, Canada and Russia have said they will not join a proposed extension, leaving the European Union as the only major developed economy willing to consider it.

However, the EU is setting tough conditions – it wants major emerging economies such as China to agree to a "roadmap" by which they too would take on legally binding commitments on emissions in the future, at the latest by 2020. China has never agreed to make such international commitments before, currently its target to curb emissions is only binding at a national level.

China's role so far at the talks has been ambiguous. Minister Xie Zhenhua, who heads the delegation, caused a small flurry of excitement when he spoke on Monday of China’s willingness to participate in a ‘legal document’. But as other countries were quick to point out, there is no clarity on what this could mean. Both the US and the EU warned that the Chinese position – that developed countries should agree to a legally binding agreement to cut emissions but China and other developing countries could get away with weaker commitments – appears unchanged.

On Tuesday, Xie Zhenhua reiterated his country's support for a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol (KP). "A second commitment period is a must. KP should be continued. Developed countries should honour their commitments", said Xie Zhenhua.

Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, said both developed and developing countries needed to shift position. "Parties need to be reassured that should some of them commit to a second commitment period under Kyoto in a legally binding manner, others would be ready to commit to a legally binding regime in the near future … [Developing] country parties also need assurances that adequate and sustainable long term funding will be delivered."

This will not be resolved at Durban, which means that the question of whether the world will sign up to a full legally binding global deal on the climate will remain hanging, as will the question of whether the world is likely to cut its emissions by the drastic amounts needed without such a deal.

Outside the rarified wrangling of the conference chamber, there were warnings from scientists and economists. The International Energy Agency, one of the most respected bodies on energy policy, warned that the number of fossil fuel power stations and other energy hungry infrastructure that we build in the next three to five years may determine the whole future of the planet – because building such infrastructure, which will be around for decades to come, will "lock in" a world of high emissions. Scientists writing in Nature said on Sunday that global emissions from fossil fuels had risen by half since 1990, when these long-running UN negotiations were just beginning.

Durban climate change talks stagnate!

kate gilmartin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:25:37 GMT

According the Guardian newspaper, the "Durban roadmap" came to the fore on Sunday night during the climate talks because the first phase of the Kyoto protocol treaty will expire next year, with several rich countries refusing to commit to further emission cuts and deadlines.

The EU compromise proposal offers to preserve the Kyoto protocol with a legally binding parallel treaty which would force all countries to cut emissions, but at different speeds and timescales.

Europe and the South African chair of the talks are thought to have persuaded the 42-strong Alliance of Small Island States coalition and the 48 least developed countries to back the EU. "China is sending signals of flexibility, Indonesia, South Africa, and Brazil are sympathetic but India is still saying the current treaty is a red line," said an EU source.

As the UK energy secretary, Chris Huhne, and senior ministers from more than 190 countries flew to Durban for high-level negotiations, deep divisions remained between the world's biggest emitters and many smaller countries over finance, forests and how to raise the ambition of cuts.

Many African and Latin American countries said they feared richer countries were wasting time trying to re-negotiate the Kyoto protocol.

"Instead of concluding negotiations now, they are trying to launch a new route which is in danger of superceding what is already there with an even weaker system. We fear that we will not have legally binding targets and timetables", said a diplomat from one African country.

A spokeman for Venezuela said: "All the options so far from developed countries move towards a lowering of ambition."

Environment groups urged countries to renew their pledges under the Kyoto treaty and not be sidetracked by promises of a better deal. "Negotiating a new climate deal will take too long and be a recipe for inaction," said Andy Atkins, head of Friends of the Earth.

Ministers will this week try to whittle down a new draft of more than 130 pages to reach agreement. The best hopes are that agreements will be reached on finance and forests.

"After six days of talks, we seem to be moving backward, not forward," said Tasneem Essop, head of WWF international climate strategy. "It's time for governments to bravely stand side-by-side with their citizens. The stakes are enormous as we fight to secure enough food, water and energy for all."

First Carbon Capture and Storage plant opens at Ferrybridge

kate gilmartin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:50 GMT

Business green reported yesterday that plans to commercialise carbon capture storage (CCS) technology took a major step forward after Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne formally opened a £21m pilot project in West Yorkshire.

SSE launched the UK's first live trial of a CCS system at its Ferrybridge power station in collaboration with Swedish utility Vattenfall and engineering firm Doosan Power Systems.

CCS technology captures carbon dioxide from fossil fuel power stations, transports it via pipelines, and stores it in underground formations such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs.

The technology is widely regarded as critical in reducing emissions from coal-dependent economies, but only a handful of demonstration projects are up and running and concerns remain that the cost of CCS systems makes commercial scale rollouts prohibitive.

The project, known as CCPilot 100+, is expected to capture 100 tonnes of CO2 each day from the equivalent of 5MW of coal-fired power generating capacity.

It is intended to demonstrate the performance of the amine compound used to capture carbon dioxide on a real flue gas stream, and researchers expect that around 90 per cent of the CO2 will be removed.

The £21m project is backed by £6.3m from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Technology Strategy Board and development agency Northern Way.

The year-long project is hoping to bridge the gap between pilot-scale trials and a series of commercial-scale demonstrations that the UK government is hoping to deliver during the second half of the decade.

"This flagship test programme at Ferrybridge represents an important milestone in the UK's plans to develop CCS, and provides a critical bridge to meeting our long-term aim of cost competitive CCS deployment by the 2020s," said Huhne.

"This is the first operating carbon capture plant attached to a power station at this scale in the UK, and has benefited from more than £6m in public money. This investment will be invaluable to the wider commercial scale deployment of CCS by reducing uncertainty, driving down costs and developing the UK supply chain and skills."

The government has insisted that it remains committed to a £1bn competition to support large-scale CCS demonstration projects, despite recently scrapping plans to support a project at Longannet in Scotland.

The future of the investment was thrown into doubt earlier this week when Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said tha some of the funding will now be reallocated to support new infrastructure projects.

However, some of the £1bn is still expected to be made available to support a CCS demonstration during this parliament, and DECC promised that the rest of the funding will be delivered after 2015 as work begins on the chosen project.

SSE is expected to bid for some of the funds to fit CCS technology to its 385MW gas-fired power plant in Peterhead as part of a joint development agreement with Shell.

Energyshare - only three days left to vote!!

kate gilmartin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:43:51 GMT

There are only three days left to go before the voting closes and the winners of the energyshare funding are announced.The Fund 100 has been whittled down to the final shortlist and it is now up to the public to decide which community groups deserve the funding most. Up to £100,000 per group is up for grabs.

There are three categories to vote in: small, medium, and large. There will be one winner in both the large and medium categories and two winners in the small category – the winners having the most votes on 3rd December.

The competition is a great way to see how communities are taking action and banding together to help become more sustainable. Not only are community renewable energy projects a great way to secure green electricity for the future, but it can also earn valuable revenue through the feed in tariff or renewable heat incentive that can be reinvested into the community fund. This allows communities to become stakeholders in their own energy generation!

At CO2Sense we have assisted many community groups to get their renewable energy projects developed and commissioned, for more information on how this can be done contact a member of our renewable energy team.

Convention on Climate Change starts today in Durban

kate gilmartin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:50:38 GMT

Officials and environment ministers from 194 countries will meet today as The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) begins its Conference of the Parties (COP) in Durban. Each year, the COP meet to discuss progress in its ambition to stop global temperatures rising above dangerous levels as a result of man-made green house gas emissions. Its ultimate aim is to stop temperatures rising more than 2^oC, by cutting greenhouse gases by 50 per cent by 2050.

The Copenhagen climate change talks in 2009 failed to agree on a legally binding target to cut emissions, but signed the ‘Copenhagen accord’ that allows Countries to make their own targets, which they are at liberty not to adhere to. The following year saw the Cancun COP16 which agreed a Green Climate Fund that encourages poorer countries to adapt to climate change and pays developing countries to prevent deforestation.

With the Kyoto Protocol, the only existing legally binding treaty in existence, coming to an end on December 31st 2012, the meeting in Durban is the best chance the world has to agree a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol. Hopefully the next agreement will also commit the US and China to sign up to meet cuts in emissions. However the talks are still a long way from the ultimate goal of a legally binding treaty.

Greenhouse gases hit a record high last year, according to the latest figures from the World Meteorological Organisation at 389 parts per million. Meanwhile the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found the rising emissions are already causing extreme weather events. Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Minister, said the UK wants a global deal “as soon as possible”. However, realistically it will take the main players, the US and China, a lot longer to agree. The UK has said a global deal must be in place by 2015 at the latest. But because it takes many nations such a long time to ratify a deal the agreement may not be fully operational until 2020. The science says emissions must peak by 2020 and start to come down for the world to have a good chance of keeping temperature rise within 2^oC.